New Milpitas skate park opens

By Celine Nghiem

A new skate park opened near the Milpitas Sports Center on Oct. 16, according to the City of Milpitas website. The 20,000-square-foot skate park, which features both combination and street terrain, is the newest addition to the city’s park system.

Local skaters such as senior Anthony Rodriguez were drawn to the new skate park due to its proximity, Rodriguez said in a phone interview. He used to go to the skate park in San Jose, but has decided to go to this one more often, Rodriguez added.

“It’s closer, and more people are going to be gathering at this one,” Rodriguez said. “The one in San Jose is a little bigger than it, but this one’s fine enough.”

He was pleasantly surprised by the way the park turned out, Rodriguez said. He had been aware of the park’s development prior to its opening, but had not expected it to look as good as it did, Rodriguez added.

“I saw some of the early concepts for it,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t sure at first, but it turned out much better.”

Senior Jordan Gee shared Rodriguez’s approval of the new park. Since Milpitas did not previously have any skate parks, he and his friends mostly skated on the streets or at a park in Fremont, Gee said in a phone interview. Although he will go to the park in Milpitas more often from now on, he will still skate on the streets, Gee added.

“Street skating is what we call it. It’s a pretty big part of skating, too,” Gee said. “It really just depends on your preference. Some people like the park more; some people just like skating on the streets.”

The City of Milpitas website lists temporary public health rules in place due to COVID-19, along with a helpline to report unsafe behavior. Social distancing is strongly encouraged, and visitors are not allowed to share their skateboards with each other. In addition, skaters are required to wear face masks at all times, even while skating.

Nevertheless, local skaters have expressed enthusiasm for the new park. Despite its small size compared to those of other cities, the Milpitas skate park has become a gathering place for both residents and skate enthusiasts from other cities. When asked what their favorite part of the park was, both Rodriguez and Gee replied that it was the people.

“Me and my friends go there, and we meet a lot of new people who aren’t really from around here either,” Gee said. “So it’s cool just to see the community get together.”